The Books That Mattered: A Reader's Memoir

by Frye Gaillard

Frye Gaillard's first encounters with books were disappointing. As a child he never cared much for fairy tales - "stories of cannibalism and mayhem in which giants and witches; tigers and wolves did their best to eat small children." But at the age of nine; he discovered Johnny Tremain; a children's novel of the Revolutionary War; which began a lifetime love affair with books; recounted here as a reader's tribute to the writings that enriched and altered his life. In a series of carefully crafted; often deeply personal essays; Gaillard blends memoir; history and critical analysis to explore the works of Harper Lee; Anne Frank; James Baldwin; Robert Penn Warren; John Steinbeck; and many others. As this heartfelt reminiscence makes clear; the books that chose Frye Gaillard shaped him like an extended family. Reading The Books that A Reader's Memoir will make you study your own shelves to find clues into your own literary heart.

Genres: Books About Books, Nonfiction, Memoir

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 7, 2012

Reviews

[Andrea Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great little book about books and I referenced to it in a few papers for class along with extending my every growing list of books to read. On what could have been a somewhat dry topic, the author was enjoyable to read and I will check to see what else he has written.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thoughtful, enjoyable biblio-memoir.

[Cecilia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book because I had to, not because I wanted to. I say read, but after the first 20 pages, I just skimmed along. It was well written enough, but I could not relate to it at all. The books the author chose were either books I hadn't read (and had no interest to read) or book I did read that didn't impact me as much as they did the author. Overall, I found the idea fascinating, but the execution was a dull experience for me. It would probably have been different if I had read more of the books this memoir talked about.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful reflections by an award-winning author. He contemplates thebest books he's read over his lifetime, and adds in interesting facts about the authors, historical context, and more. Being a Southern writer himself, Gaillard's book list had a decent amount of Southern writers on it - but also writers from other cultures, countries and eras.
This book was educational, entertaining, expertly written. Best of all, it moved me to add a few new books to my "Want to Read" list for this summer!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

What could be better than reading about books? This book is a charmer. The writer so lovingly describes books that have made a difference in his life. As I made my way through this book,I read about books and authors I've loved and a number of books and authors I do not know but am now curious to learn more about. For anyone who loves to read, this is a must read.

[Amy L. Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars and a waffle.

I think I was hoping for something a little more in depth about the personal relationship Gaillard had with his reading, whereas this felt more like a really brief mention of books with a statement or two and occasional name dropping and fairly large passages from mentioned novels. It was okay, but not as satisfactory as I was hoping.

[Kelly Brill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book after hearing the author read a beautiful segment from it (his own interview with a father whose daughter was killed in the Birmingham church bombing.) I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was fun remembering a few books about which I'd forgotten...and he and I have several of the same favorites. A lovely read.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of us have those books that we've managed to read at just the right moment in life, and if we would have read it another day or another year, it would not have mattered nearly as much. This book about books made me ponder which books in my own reading history have mattered the most.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book. The author gives a great historical and political (not that political, but somewhat) context of the books he has highlighted in this nifty book. I have recommended a few times now.

Truly well done.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now my reading list is a lot longer than when I started this book.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Frye & his books & this one was a fun read - Johnny Tremaine was one of my favorites from childhood as well -

[Nancy Gaillard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book for anyone who reads or wants to read or has forgotten how wonderful books can be

[Denise Sudbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gaillard brings a whole new meaning to the stale phrase "literary criticism" (or study or whatever you want to call it). To love these books the way Gaillard does with a love sensual and willing to explore characters where so many will not go confirms once again for me that the North American style of literature study is as unloving as it ever was. It's a wonder my own love for books didn't wither. And so many I've not read and this from a person who has too often congratulated herself on her own reading journey.